Main Entry: 1sym·bol
Pronunciation: 'sim-b&l
Function: noun
Etymology: in sense 1, from Late Latin symbolum, from Late Greek
symbolon, from Greek, token, sign; in other senses from Latin symbolum
token, sign, symbol, from Greek symbolon, literally, token of
identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw
together, compare, from syn- + ballein to throw -- more at
DEVIL
1 : an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine
:
CREED
2 : something that stands for or suggests something else by reason
of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance;
especially : a visible sign of something invisible <the lion is a
symbol of courage>
3 : an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing
relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements,
relations, or qualities
4 : an object or act representing something in the unconscious
mind that has been repressed <phallic symbols>
5 : an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the
capacity to excite or objectify a response
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